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This is the fourth in the series of books on social dreaming published by Gordon Lawrence, three of which (including this edition) feature Lawrence as editor and contributor. In this book, among the recommendations and praise for the present edition printed on the back cover, Ken Eisold proclaims that ‘Social Dreaming has come of age’, and indeed, with four substantial volumes already published and more in the pipeline, with social dreaming apparently established as a regular event in the ISPSO conferences, with the continued and growing interest in social dreaming throughout the world and in different situations, it seems that maybe social dreaming has truly ‘come of age’. Of course, with a ‘coming of age’ the responsibilities are greater and the stakes are higher. So, from this book, we expect to see evidence of development, change, progress, or at least consolidation as compared to previous editions. Does Infinite Possibilities demonstrate this shift?
The book opens with the familiar style and vigour of Gordon Lawrence's writing, in a chapter that takes its title from (or lends it to) the edition as a whole. As such, it sets the scene for the book. It starts off with the usual description of social dreaming: I can't help asking myself if, after four books and twenty-five years of social dreaming, we still need the introduction that explains its origins and methodology. Be that as it may, the opening chapter is a delight to read, with Lawrence writing, as he often does, with an enviable combination of flair, originality, and daring, along with a wonderful ability to synthesize and make connections between disparate elements, not unlike his contributions as Host to the actual Social Dreaming Matrices themselves, where the different dream images and associations of the participants are woven into a web of possible understandings through the capacity of his mind to contain and make links between the participant contributions. Thus, in his opening chapter, Lawrence is